Ed Miliband is accused of ‘enjoying into Vladimir Putin’s arms’ after approving plans to concrete over Britain’s remaining fracking websites

Ed Miliband was on Sunday night accused of ‘playing into Vladimir Putin’s hands’ after approving plans to concrete over Britain’s remaining fracking sites.

The Energy Secretary, who is spearheading government efforts to transition to cleaner energy, greenlighted proposals to plug Britain’s only shale gas wells with cement.

Work is expected to begin on the two Lancashire sites by June, with work set to begin this coming week.

But senior MPs and peers have now warned Mr Miliband that he must U-turn on the decision at a time when the nation needs lower energy prices and to move away from importing fossil fuels.

The politicians said the discovery giant gas field under Lincolnshire only strengthened the case to continue fracking in the UK.

Lord Mackinlay, chairman of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group and organiser of the letter, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘The recent discovery in Lincolnshire should remind people of the madness of Red Ed’s sacred Net Zero.

‘He is choosing to leave vast reserves of natural gas untouched at a time when our energy prices are the highest in the world.

Ed Miliband has signed off plans to concrete over Britain’s remaining fracking sites

Britain’s last shale gas wells in Lancashire will be filled in with cement under plans signed off by the Energy Secretary

Senior MPs have called for Mr Miliband’s decision to be reversed as the nation needs lower energy prices and to move away from importing fossil fuels (pictured: Cuadrilla fracking site in Preston New Road, Little Plumpton)

‘Salting the earth by concreting these wells shuts off a vital resource in very uncertain times, playing into Vladimir Putin’s hands exactly at a time when we need to be strengthening our energy security.’

The letter, signed by former Tory Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and ex-Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, says: ‘If this concreting order goes ahead and Britain’s only shale gas wells are destroyed, the British public will be left in no doubt that this is an ideological Government that prioritises an extreme net zero agenda and ideological purity rather than this country’s national security and people’s bills.’

A spokesman for the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero said: ‘We intend to ban fracking for good and make Britain a clean energy superpower to protect current and future generations.’